Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
*****
Wow—so this is the Great Fireball Jutsu that's never actually killed anyone!
Ximen Zhen watched the flames erupting from Sasuke's mouth with a sense of fascination.
After all, this was his first time witnessing and experiencing the power of a Fire Style jutsu in real life.
Of course, such a jutsu couldn't hurt him. Sasuke's current chakra control was too poor for him to unleash the technique's full potential. He was no match for Ximen Zhen.
But the two girls nearby didn't see it that way.
They had wanted to stop the fight long ago, but only now did they have the opportunity to intervene.
Sakura rushed in front of Ximen Zhen, spreading her arms wide to block Sasuke. "Stop it, Sasuke! Don't do something stupid!"
Although her act of shielding Ximen Zhen with her body moved him, he was still troubled about how to get Sakura out of harm's way.
Should he reveal his Body Flicker Technique?
At that moment, Ino's voice rang out.
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
Ino no longer cared about her own safety. Even without anyone guarding her, she forcefully activated her clan's secret jutsu.
Sasuke, already halfway through expelling his fireball, couldn't defend against this mental attack. His consciousness was instantly taken over by Ino.
But there was a problem—Ino didn't know how to use Fire Style, nor did she know how to handle a jutsu that was already half released.
She simply clamped her mouth shut, trying to suppress the technique. The result was disastrous—the half-formed Great Fireball exploded outward, scattering embers in every direction.
Sasuke's body was blown back by the jutsu's blast, but thankfully, Ino had already returned to her body the moment she realized something was wrong.
Sakura instinctively tried to dodge the incoming flames, but when she remembered Ximen Zhen behind her, she bit her lip and made a reckless decision.
She turned around, threw her arms around Ximen Zhen, and tackled him to the ground, trying to shield him with her own body.
At that moment, Sakura was acting purely on instinct. She completely forgot that her strength wasn't superior to Ximen Zhen's, and had no time to consider the consequences of taking the hit herself.
Ximen Zhen raised his brow, preparing to dodge with Sakura in tow—but then a sudden flash of insight struck him.
He froze, as if startled, and forgot to move. The fire struck Sakura squarely in the back, igniting her clothes and hair, and a scream of agony escaped her lips.
"Sakura!"
Ino rushed over in a panic, ignoring her own safety as she tried to beat out the flames with her hands.
But Ximen Zhen gently pushed her away and reminded her, "Ino—Water Style!"
Only then did Ino snap out of her panic. She hurriedly formed hand seals and performed Water Style: Wild Water Wave.
As the heir to the Yamanaka Clan, Ino had long known that her chakra natures were Earth and Water. She had already learned this basic Water Style jutsu.
A thin stream of water shot from her mouth, quickly dousing the remaining flames on Sakura's back. From behind, only the smoldering remains of her clothing could be seen—much of it already charred black.
Seeing this, Ino's eyes welled up with tears. "Zhen, we need to carry her to the Konoha Hospital—now!"
But as she reached for Sakura's shoulder, Sakura slowly turned her head and whispered, "Don't…"
Ino thought she'd misheard, and insisted on picking her up, but Sakura struggled to sit up and leaned against Ximen Zhen. "I'm not going to the hospital…"
"Sakura, are you crazy? You—"
Ino wanted to say more, but Sakura's eyes shifted to Sasuke.
He sat slumped on the ground, still not fully conscious.
Burns covered parts of his body, and blisters had formed on his lips.
Of course, compared to Sakura's injuries, Sasuke's were merely superficial.
"You're… worried he'll get punished?"
Ino, being her best friend, immediately understood what Sakura was thinking. And right now, she wanted to slap her.
"Think about yourself! You really think no one's going to notice these injuries? If your wounds get infected, you could die!"
"I…"
Sakura tried to stand, but Ximen Zhen pressed her shoulder down and said, "Let me treat your wounds."
Both Sakura and Ino looked at him.
Ximen Zhen calmly explained, "During my hospital stay at Konoha, I learned some medical knowledge from the nurses and secretly observed the doctors performing Medical Ninjutsu… I might be able to help."
Ino opened her mouth, but Ximen Zhen cut her off: "If it doesn't work, I'll knock her out and take her to the hospital."
"Zhen, you—"
Sakura wanted to resist, but the pain in her back twisted her expression. She couldn't speak and soon lost consciousness again.
"Then let's begin. We can't treat her here…"
Ino looked around, and at that moment, Sasuke finally regained his senses.
"There's a room inside with a bed," he said hoarsely. "No bedding… but you can use it."
Ximen Zhen picked Sakura up, looked at the dazed Sasuke, and said, "We'll talk later. Right now, I need to save her."
"…Alright."
Sasuke didn't argue. Instead, he leapt to the top of the wall and pointed them toward the best-preserved house. After watching them disappear inside with a few leaps, he slapped himself hard across the face.
Sasuke, for all his anger, hadn't yet been consumed by hatred. He knew exactly how far he had gone just now.
If it weren't for running into the rational Simen Zhen and the brave Sakura Haruno, he might've already become a criminal detained by the security forces.
After calming down, Sasuke ran toward his apartment. There were still some bandages and medicine there—he might still be able to use them.
Meanwhile, Simen Zhen had entered the house. He took off his kimono and laid it out on the bed, then gently had Sakura lie down on it.
Ino's face was pale with worry, her eyes fixed anxiously on Simen Zhen. She cautiously asked, "Are you sure this is okay? Shouldn't we just take her to the Konoha Hospital?"
"Sakura only has external injuries, though they're a bit serious. Give me three minutes. If I can't manage it by then, we'll go."
Seeing how serious Simen Zhen looked, Ino finally nodded.
Simen Zhen began recalling the detailed techniques of the Mystic Palm Jutsu, and started to imitate the actions of someone attempting to use it.
Given Simen Zhen's current resume, performing the Mystic Palm Technique was absolutely ridiculous. But right now, they were in a closed environment. The only ones who knew what was happening here were Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke.
So Simen Zhen saw this as a perfect opportunity to showcase his talent in medical ninjutsu—and also a chance to acquire Sakura's pheromones.
Of course, he didn't let Sakura take the brunt of the Fireball Jutsu just to gain access to her pheromones. He had a much deeper plan in mind.
As for the specifics—those would be revealed in future simulations.
Time passed, second by second. A faint blue glow slowly began to emerge from Simen Zhen's palm.
At first, the light flickered unstably. But gradually, it condensed and stabilized, forming into a shape that was identical to the Mystic Palm Technique Ino had seen before—just significantly smaller.
"It worked..."
Ino stared in disbelief. She couldn't wrap her head around how someone who had just learned to control chakra could master the Mystic Palm Technique without a teacher.
But now wasn't the time to ask questions. She took Sakura's hand and held it close, using this gesture to comfort her best friend.
Simen Zhen's palm slowly pressed against Sakura's back. With his experience in medical ninjutsu, treating Sakura's external wounds was practically effortless.
However, his chakra reserves were only at the level of a chunin, so using the Mystic Palm Technique was still a bit of a strain. Beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead.
Ino noticed and gently wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, her gaze shifting between Simen Zhen and Sakura.
Finally, after half an hour passed—
A system notification sounded. Simen Zhen, now pale-faced, withdrew his hand and immediately sat cross-legged to begin refining chakra.
Sakura, who had been trembling all over, slowly calmed down. The pain had vanished from her face, though she was still unconscious.
Ino quickly wrapped Sakura in Simen Zhen's kimono, then crouched down by his side with concern.
"I'm fine," Simen Zhen said with a reassuring smile. Then he added, "Go find some clothes for Sakura. I think we're good here for now."
"But… your safety—"
"I'll protect them."
Sasuke had returned, carrying a bunch of medicine in his hands. His lips were covered in blisters, one after another.
His once-handsome face was gone—he now looked like a comic relief actor.
"Uh… you…" Ino clearly didn't trust him.
Seeing this, Sasuke snapped, "I swear on the honor of the Uchiha clan, I won't raise my hand again!"
Ino glanced at Simen Zhen. Seeing him nod, she took the medicine from Sasuke and quickly left the Uchiha compound alone.
Simen Zhen glanced through what Sasuke had brought. It was all common ointments—useless now for Sakura.
He casually tossed the package back to Sasuke and said, "You can use these yourself. We don't need them here."
"You healed her?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"But you said you were just an ordinary person. Yet your strength surpasses mine—and you even know medical ninjutsu?"
Sasuke's mind was flooded with doubt. But Simen Zhen looked at him and bluntly replied, "Ever consider the possibility that you're just weak?"
Sasuke immediately glared at Simen Zhen as he applied ointment to his wounds. He knew he'd made mistakes, but that didn't mean he'd changed his temper.
Simen Zhen snorted coldly, and then, under Sasuke's stunned gaze, he lightly jumped upward and placed his hand against the ceiling—suspending himself effortlessly from it.
"Can you do this?"
Sasuke shook his head in confusion.
He could scale walls, but sticking himself upside-down to the ceiling with just his hand? No way.
"What kind of jutsu is that?"
"It's not a jutsu. It's just the basics—training that every clan's child goes through. Even someone like me could pick it up from them."
Then came Simen Zhen's final blow—words sharper than any kunai.
"So, Sasuke, maybe you're not as strong—or as special—as you think you are."
"Maybe everyone's just been going easy on you."
(End of Chapter)